…as group threatens to picket agency’s headquarters
By Our Correspondent
Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), has been accused of shielding some corruption suspects wanted by the law.
A Civil Society Organisation (CSO) under aegis of Anti-Corruption, Human-rights and Good Governance Watch (AHGGW), which made the allegations, cited a specific case involving the former National President of the Association of the Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), Bola Audu Innocent whom the ICPC had filed charges against the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court at Maitama, Abuja.
A statement signed by AHGGW’s General Secretary, Dr. Sani Muhammed Aliyu, claimed that the ICPC has refused to arrest and present the suspect, Bola Audu Innocent before the court despite Justice Y. Halilu’s charge that he should be arrested by any means necessary and brought to court to face the law.
It was gathered that the case has suffered several setbacks becuase the accused, Mr Innocent has consistently shunned several Court hearings where he was scheduled for arraignment before Justice Halilu.
The anti-corruption group therfore called on the new ICPC Chairman, Dr. Musa Aliyu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), to urgently intervene and ensure his operatives apprehend Mr Innocent and bring him before the court.
“We shall not hesitate to picket the ICPC headquarters in Abuja to ensure that the Mr Innocent and other corruption suspects evading arrest are brought before the law,” a statement issued on Monday by AHGGW’s General Secretary, Dr. Sani Muhammed, said.
The CSO further gave one-week ultimatum to theICPC to heed Justice Halilu’s order and arrest Bola Audu Innocent and present him to the court to face the law.
It added that at the end of one week starting Monday, 15 January, 2024, it would mobilize its members and other CSOs across the federation to register their displeasure over ICPC’s failure to arrest and prosecute the suspects.
He said the criminal case with suit number: CR/738/2023, is suffering setbacks and that Bola Audu may never answer to the law on the issues he is wanted for, because the ICPC officers in charge of the case are apparently in an unholy alliance with Mr Bola the suspect, intentionally refusing to arrest and arraign him before Justice Halilu.
The statement in part reads; “As a group of Nigerian citizens who have sworn not to allow any person and group of persons finish what is left of our beloved country with corruption, we made it our duty to take up issues like this and ensure the right is done. We got involved in this case last year and have been following it righteously.
“We have been in court for this case many times and Bola Audu Innocent will always not appear and the ICPC prosecutor will always give excuses why Bola is not in court. The last time was on the 4th of December 2023. That day Justice Halilu ordered the lawyer to team up with some officers of the law to arrest and arraign him to face the law. But apparently the ICPC knows where to find Bola Audu but for reasons best known to them, refusing to bring him to face the law.
“We say this because we investigated and found out that Bola Audu Innocent is not in any hideout but rather on the streets of Abuja going about his businesses every day and even attending government functions. In fact we got reliable information that the ICPC was tipped on his way about but unfortunately they played deaf ears.
“Then we begin to wonder why an agency established to fight corruption, given a charge by a judge of the High Court to bring a suspect in a corruption case, is being lackadaisical to do their job.
“The same man they claimed they were looking for was seen on the streets of Abuja with police escorts going as he pleases but surprisingly invincible to the eyes of ICPC officers who are supposedly looking for him. Apparently what the ICPC does is one eye fight against corruption going by what they are doing in this particular case. Unless they are saying that Bola Audu is above the law.
“We call on the ICPC Chairman to fish out the bad eggs that are painting the agency black, because we will not condon malfeasance of any kind in Nigeria.
“We demand that every corruption case should be given the required attention and seriousness. Every corrupt officer should be dismissed. We call for Bola Audu Innocent to be arrested and made to face the law. Let him go and prove his innocence before the law,” the statement read.”
